How to Cite a PDF

So you want to cite a PDF (or a Portable Document Format) file, but don’t know what citation format to use.

Citing PDFs can be a seemingly tricky part of writing a paper. Once you understand the process behind it, however, it becomes a very simple task.

The key to understanding how to cite a PDF is:

Always cite the PDF based on what source the file actually is.

A PDF, after all, is not really a source itself, but rather a file type and a way to display a source.

For example, if the source you wish to cite is a PDF of a newspaper article, cite the source as you would a newspaper.

Then, depending on the citation style you are using, you can add a short note to the citation that indicates that the source was in PDF, or you can include a URL that links directly to the PDF. Here is how you would do this in the three most popular citation styles:

• In a MLA citation, to cite a downloaded PDF, change the medium description to “PDF download.” To cite a PDF file available to view online, change the location description to the URL leading to the PDF.
• In an APA citation, cite a PDF the same way you would cite a webpage, including the URL leading to the PDF.
• In a Chicago-style citation, after the title, add the same description without brackets (separated by a period).

MLA Format Example

Executive summary. 2017 Trust Fund Annual Report, The World Bank Group, 2017. The World Bank Group, 2017, www.worldbank.org/en/publication/trust-fund-annual-report-2017/2017-trust-fund-annual-report/executive-summary. PDF download.

URL leading to the PDF:

Executive summary. 2017 Trust Fund Annual Report, The World Bank Group, 2017, documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/428511521809720471/683696272_201803110085432/additional/124547-REVISED-PUBLIC-17045-TF-Annual-Report-web-Apr17.pdf.

If you need help with in-text and parenthetical citations, CitationMachine.net, can help. Our MLA citation generator is simple and easy to use!

APA Format Example

Fox, M. (2008). Indiana income limits. Indiana Government Information. https://www.huduser.org/Datasets/IL/IL08/in_fy2008.pdf

Chicago Format Example

Reilly, Robert. Complicated Relationships. PDF file. September 20, 2017. www.complicatedrelationships.com/amazon.pdf.

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There is no explicit way to indicate that you are citing a PDF, as PDF is a file format and not a type of reference (e.g., journal article, book, or book chapter). You can cite any reference type in PDF format (e.g., magazine articles and reports). To cite a PDF in APA format, cite it in a webpage style. Include a URL, which takes the user to the PDF. Following are a template and example on how to cite a PDF in APA format.

Template

Surname, F. M. or Name of Group. (Publication Date). Title of the report. Publisher (if different from author). URL

Example

California Air Resources Board [CARB]. (2017). California’s 2017 climate change scoping plan. https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/cc/scopingplan/scoping_plan_2017.pdf

To cite a PDF in Chicago (notes-bibliography) style, include the names of the contributors, title of the PDF, publisher, publication date, and URL. Cite a PDF similar to an online book. Following are a template and example for how to cite a PDF in Chicago style.

Footnote template:

This is an example sentence. 1

1. Author First Name Surname/Organization Name, Title of the PDF (Publisher, Publication Date), URL.

Footnote example:

It is reported by JPI Cultural Heritage. 1

1. Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage and Global Change, Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda 2020 (JPI Cultural Heritage, May 2020), http://jpi-ch.eu/wp-content/uploads/2156_JPI-Cultural-Heritage.pdf.

Bibliography template and example:

Author Surname, First Name Middle Initial/Organization Name. Title of the PDF. Publisher, publication date. URL.